face to face: Mary Conner

May 06, 2010|By Ann Rowland Special to the Herald Times

Welcome to your neighborhood! Have you noticed all the interesting people? Do you ever wonder who they are, what they do, where they came from and how they live? Get to know them better, one at a time, right here in Market Place.

This week, Market Place (MP) received a phone call from a lady who said she’d like to sit with a cup of coffee and talk a bit about this big adventure that is life.

The Stats:

Name: Mary Conner (MC)

Age: 42

Resides near Guthrie Lakes

In a relationship with Scott

Children: Two in Virginia, one in Marquette (“The oldest two are having their own now.”)

MP: Do I hear a little bit of a southern accent?

MC: I’m from Virginia before Michigan. I went through a pretty nasty divorce, and there came a point when Virginia just wasn’t big enough.

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MP: How did you end up here? I mean, it’s a lot different!

MC: I was working as an over-the-road truck driver then. I already had a pretty good back and forth between Virginia and Michigan, so I just landed here.

MP: Really? How long did you do that?

MC: I’ve kept my CDL (commercial driver’s license) up for 16 years. I was over-the-road for about five years. I’ve been laid off now for a while, so I went back to school.

MP: Really? What are you studying? What’s your goal?

MC: I guess it’s kind of business management. Scott has his own business and has a “creative” filing system. I’d like to be able to help him out with that. I’m pretty organized.

MP: Truck driver, business manager … Probably not how you envisioned your life when you were a little girl in Virginia. What did you want to be?

MC: I wanted to be a forester. You know, be outside and know all about the trees. Then I changed my mind and decided that I wanted to be an architect.

MP: But?

MC: I just kind of rolled. Did other things.

MP: What about now? Do you still want to be an architect?

MC: Yes, and no. It’s the whole conceptual part … the art in the buildings. That’s what they are, you know? They are big works of art. That, I like. But I’m a realistic thinker, and I look at architecture and wonder “Why build more new structures?” I’d rather be involved in repurposing old places. That’s where my dream lies. To restore some old Southern plantation house to its original glory.

MP: I like that word “repurpose.” What do you like best about yourself, Mary?

MC: My sense of humor! And I like being outgoing. You and I are alike that way. You know? We look at people and just know that they have a good story inside them.

MP: Is there something about yourself that you don’t like?

MC: I am extremely stubborn. If I believe I’m right about something, I will fight you tooth and nail to prove it. But that also means that when I’m faced with a problem I’ll move heaven and earth to solve it.

MP: Tell me a story about that.

MC: OK. I went to apply for a trucking job and the only thing there was to haul was loads of those big concrete drainage things. You know what I’m talking about?

MP: I do.

MC: OK, so they looked at me. I was about 105 pounds at the time, and they were doubtful. Part of the job was unloading those things from the truck. You have to inch them out and roll them around. They’re pretty big. But I was determined and got them to let me give it a go.

MP: And?

MC: I hauled those things for two years, unloading them, too. Then last year, I decided I wanted a water pond garden. So I started digging a hole and bringing in rocks. The rocks would collapse in and I’d roll them back out and dig some more. By the time I was done I’d mortared the rocks in place and the thing is 11 feet wide and 5 feet deep at one end!

MP: Holy cow! Do you swim in it?

MC: I leave the dogs to do that. But the plants are starting to come in nice, and it looks pretty nice. You can tell that I have a tendency to bite off a little more than I can chew.

MP: You seem to make the most of it.

MC: I have fun with everything I do! Can you imagine walking around grumpy all the time? That would suck. There’s life out there to live … let’s go get at it!

MP: You’re certainly not afraid of hard work.

MC: There are days when I’d like to just stay in bed and be lazy, but then I start to feel guilty and next thing … I’m up and digging into another project.

MP: What about hobbies?

MC: I like to do all kinds of things, from crochet and cooking to carpentry and cabinetry.

MP: And you don’t like …

MC: Shopping! I hate shopping. It’s just no fun when I can’t find things in my size. They don’t make much for women like me. I mean, I’m skinny, but I’d look ridiculous in those teenager fashions. You know what I mean?

MP: Um … sorta. I have a feeling that I know the answer to this, but … did you ever do anything really crazy?